Animal Attraction
by Enigmaforum
Summary: An awkward situation leads a cheetah to realize that her spirit belongs with a tiger.


**Disclaimer: I don't own PR that right goes...to SABAN because Disney sold it!**

**AN: Now I know that in PR canon Theo asked Lily out. However, while rewatching JF for research purposes I honestly couldn't help but notice the constant Casey and Lily moments throughout the series. They're the ship I liked first and really I don't know if Theo and Lily would have worked out. So this is my interpretation of how things could have gone for them all. And thank you to Shawn for the title. I so appreciate it. **

**Thank you so much to Kim for her encouragement throughout writing this. **

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She knew that she was supposed to be having a good time right now. That dates were supposed to be fun; especially when they were with someone you were close to. Lily knew that she should be having fun with Theo on their date but she was in fact trying to deal with the awkward silence that had settled between them. The sad part about it was that this wasn't the first awkward moment of the night and she had no idea how to make it better. She knew Theo as a close friend, but dating him? That was another story entirely.

Lily didn't even know if this could be considered 'dating' because this was only their second date. It was something that she was seriously regretting agreeing to after the disaster that was their first date. Well, perhaps labeling it as a disaster was the wrong choice of words. It had been a nice date, a nice dinner, but the entire feel of it had just been wrong. It had been filled with just as many awkward pauses as their date tonight had been. But she had chalked it all up to nerves. So she had agreed to come out for ice cream tonight but here they were as they sat in the park, awkward and unsure and Lily wasn't so sure that it was going to wear off if they kept this up.

This should be easy, going from close friends to dating; in Lily's opinion the transition should be almost effortless because the feelings should be there. But she was slowly coming to realize that whatever feelings Theo had for her, were not being returned by her own heart. In fact, every time she spared a glance at him the only thing she did feel was friendship and the brotherly sort of love she had once professed for another member of their team.

_Casey._ The thought of her friend sent a shiver through her body. She may have professed to love him like a brother months ago but it had been a lie. She had said it to keep their team dynamic intact because when one was saving the world as a spandex clad superhero, things like team unity were needed. She hadn't needed to screw it up with her feelings for a Red Ranger. But now the world was safe and she was about to become a teacher at the academy and the feelings she had been repressing had started to come back to hit her full force.

When she and Theo had left earlier the red ranger had wished them a good night but he had looked so sad when they'd been going. Lily couldn't shake the look he had had in his eyes when she'd kissed his cheek nor could she get rid of how much fun the two of them had had cleaning the loft earlier in the day. But these types of feelings were the wrong kind to have when one was out on a date with someone else.

Lily cursed herself as she thought about Casey because it was turning her into a bad person. She couldn't and wouldn't do this to Theo. He was one of her closest friends and to hurt him would be like hurting a part of herself. But to keep up with this awkward date would hurt Theo more in the long run. It was just painful and she knew that it was wrong, especially when she wanted someone else.

"Theo," she stopped suddenly in the middle of their walk and turned to look at him. She didn't want to hurt him but she couldn't keep this up for another second. "I…"

"This isn't working is it?" he asked quietly and Lily shook her head.

"No it isn't," she replied. "I…it's just…you're one of my best friends. And I love you. But not in the way that you want me to."

"I know," he told her as he looked at her. "I wanted this to work. I've crushed on you for so long Lily. But now that I finally get what I want….it's not the way it should be. For either of us."

"I'm sorry," Lily said. "I'm so so sorry."

"Don't be," he said. "But thank you for agreeing to this for me. I couldn't ask for a better friend Lily….we are still friends right?" he asked tentatively and Lily immediately rushed towards him and pulled him in for a hug.

"We couldn't be anything but," Lily said as she squeezed and pressed a friendly kiss to his cheek. "You will never be rid of me Theo. Unless you tell me to go away."

"Never gonna happen," Theo replied and she laughed.

"But I'm going to tell you to get lost right now," he told her and she looked at him with a frown as he simply smiled. "I think it is high time that you and Casey finally did something about the moon eyes you've been making at each other for months don't you?"

"Theo," she balked and he just shook his head.

"I saw it. I've been seeing it for so long Lily. I just chose not to acknowledge it but….you two…you're the kind of friends that can change to more. You should be with him. Be happy," he told her and Lily smiled.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Go. I'll be fine here. And tell Casey…tell him I say that it's all good ok?"

"Will do."

Lily leaned in and hugged him once more before she was off in the opposite direction and going towards the pizza shop. It was high time that she went after something she had been wanting for months.

It took her fifteen minutes to reach the shop from the park and she was grateful because it had given her some time to think about how she would approach Casey. She had a feeling that he had feelings similar to what she had for him. But they had been dancing around each other for so long and Casey would never want to betray Theo. But they had Theo's blessing and when she closed the door to the shop and locked it behind her Lily had a plan in mind.

Taking a breath she headed through the darkened room and towards the stairs in the back. She did a double check to make sure that everything was in its place before she went up. Lily was greeted with the sight of RJ meditating on the floor. His eyes snapped open at the sound of her entry and she smiled when he looked at her.

"Lily, wasn't expecting you to be back so soon. Shouldn't you be out on a date?" He asked with raised eyebrows and she shook her head.

"Things with Theo are…well…"

"You won't be seeing him in that capacity anymore will you?" RJ asked knowingly and she shook her head. "Good," he responded. "I didn't think the vibes from you two meshed well together."

"What?" Lily asked in shock.

"You two are great friends but your animal spirits just don't add up," he said as he got to his feet. "At least not like yours and Casey's do."

"Come again?" she requested as their former mentor just smiled and motioned with his head towards the boy's room.

"You and Casey," he began. "Should be the ones dating. And you know it Lily. He knows it. And now apparently Theo knows it. So you can stop pretending cheetah. Go and lay claim to your tiger."

Lily nodded to his statement and followed his motions towards Casey's room. She had learned awhile ago to stop questioning RJ's statements and just go with them. And she honestly didn't want to put off seeing Casey any longer.

Still, she approached the room cautiously and opened the door with as little noise as possible. It still wasn't enough to keep Casey's head from perking up at the sound of the door clicking shut.

"Hi," he told her and she smiled. He moved to get up from his hammock but she held a hand up to stop him.

"Stay there," she ordered and he paused.

"What's wrong? Did something happen with you and Theo?"

Lily nodded as she approached him. He frowned at her as she came to stand right beside his hammock.

"You could say that," she chuckled.

"What? Do I have to hurt him? Because he's my brother but if he so much as…"

Lily stopped his rant before it could begin by putting her fingers against his lips.

"No you don't have to hurt him, we just realized that we weren't right for each other," she told him. "To be honest I've known that I'm not right for him ever since date one."

"Oh really?" he murmured against her fingers and she shuddered at the feel of his lips as she nodded.

"You see…I made a mistake a few months ago," she explained. "I told the person I really care about that I thought of him as a brother. I lied. The fact of the matter is that this person is not a brother to me. He has the potential to be much more. If he wants me….does he?"

"He does," Casey answered as she pulled her hand away from his lips and let it trail down to cover his heart. "Oh boy does he ever but what about Theo?"

"He said that all of us would be good," Lily told him. It seemed as though her tiger didn't need to be told twice as his hand reached up to cup her face and bring her head down to his. Casey's lips attached themselves to hers and Lily happily responded to his eager mouth. Their lips moved together in time, sweet and passionate all at once and by the time they pulled away, Lily was dizzy with sensation.

"Tiger, tiger," she whispered as their foreheads touched, her lips ghosting against his.

"Your tiger," Casey told her and she grinned.

"Your cheetah," she echoed. "Go out on a date with me?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you?" he chuckled and she shook her head.

"It's the twenty-first century, girls can ask guys out too," she replied and he laughed.

"So does this mean that you get to plan everything?" he responded and she chuckled.

"If you so desire."

"Wanna know what I desire right now?" Casey asked and she nodded her head. Lily pouted as he pulled away from her and moved aside. "Join me?"

"Will your hammock hold the both of us?" she asked and he nodded. She pressed her hands to his chest and levered herself up and into the red hammock. It took them a moment or two to get adjusted but they got her curled against his body, her head resting against his chest as his arm wrapped around her waist.

"Hey Casey?"

"Hmmm?"

"Wear something sexy on our date," she told him as she let her eyes drift shut, being lulled by the beat of his heart and the vibrations of his chest as he laughed.

"Go to bed cheetah," he told her as he kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes.

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**Feedback is always appreciated. Thank you for reading!**


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